


...And a Zappy New Year

by dragonlover



Series: Zappy Holidays [2]
Category: Heroes (TV 2006)
Genre: BDSM, F/F, Psychological Horror, Psychopathology & Sociopathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2008-01-01
Updated: 2008-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29817060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonlover/pseuds/dragonlover
Summary: Elle pursues a haphazard D/s relationship with Claire.
Relationships: Elle Bishop/Claire Bennet
Series: Zappy Holidays [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2191755





	1. Chapter 1

I didn’t sleep well that night. I wasn’t troubled with nightmares or worries, however. No, I didn’t sleep because I was filled to the brim with excitement.

I had a new project to work on: Project Claire. And unlike the various hunts and other missions I’ve performed for the sake of the company, this one was entirely selfish. There was no greater good to serve, no company plan – just a little experiment for the sake of my own pleasure, and thus undoubtedly the most fulfilling.

Not that I was ignoring Claire’s feelings in this. I mean, yeah, she never actually consented to being the subject of my latest project, but it wasn’t like I was going to take her past her limits. Besides, she should be grateful for my interest. When you think about it, it really was kind of me to give her life a purpose, after all.

As soon as the light was bright enough, I rose from my makeshift bed. Making a quick stop at the latrine outside, I took a sip of water, and grabbed a caramel bar. Instead of eating it then, however, I decided to save it to share with her when she woke up. A nice gesture, and useful with such a low food supply.

I knelt down next to her and prepared to wait. Her face had barely changed position since I had last visited her, but the growing light served to alter her appearance just enough to unnerve me slightly. I studied her expression: tense and anxious. _Pain, Claire?_

I wondered if I was to blame for her discomfort, or if she was responding to other forces. After all, this girl had been through a lot besides me. Still, whether do to my influence or another’s, this distress emanating from my newest toy was only serving to increase my own excitement.

I tilted my head to appraise her sleeping form, wrapped tightly in canvas. She was in excellent shape, a fine product of her regenerative power. And her face… cute by any means, but that wonderful look of pain on her features enhanced her beauty to the point that I felt my mouth water just watching her. “Pretty little toy…”

I smiled as she twitched at the sound of my voice.

For a moment, I was tempted to wake her as I had woken up many of my toys in the past: a fun, little shock to the nose. Fun for me, that is. At this stage of the game, I doubted it would be fun for her. However, I denied myself that pleasure. For now, I could only zap her in moderation, and preferably with her consent.

This was, in its way, totally new ground for me. I had to be careful not to arouse suspicion from Peter, while still setting the stage for my new ownership of Claire. I would have to train her very carefully to ensure she never realized or alerted Peter to my wicked deeds before I had her totally under my spell.

The toy shifted suddenly, waking up. I watched, fascinated, as her eyes blinked open to find mine staring back at them. I smiled pleasantly, “Morning, sleepy.”

My smile faded as I saw that her hair had fallen over her pretty face, covering it up. _Well, that won’t do._ I stretched out a hand to fix the problem, causing her to immediately jerk away. Why, it appeared little Claire thought I was trying to hurt her! _How adorable._

Slowly, gently, I advanced my hand toward her face. Maybe it was my smile or the way I tilted my hand… Whatever the contributing factor or factors, she let me touch her this time. I lightly traced my fingertips over her face, learning the terrain for myself, before brushing the hair away and accomplishing my original task. When I had finished, I gave her a nice big smile to show her I was pleased.

“M-morning,” she mumbled, staring up at me with what I took to be awe. How about that? The toy was intimidated by my presence. Then, the toy decided she would lessen such feelings by raising herself up to eye-level with me.

I easily could have slammed her back down to the ground, releasing enough energy to keep her twitching for hours. However, I instead just smiled as she propped herself up. Certainly I had something to smile about; the fun image in my head would keep me smiling for as long as it would have taken Claire to stop twitching. “Sleep well, I hope?”

She was less than pleased with my choice of conversation. She shot me a dirty look as her face scrunched up into a look of sadness mixed with disgust. “Actually, Elle, the multiple attempts on my life have pretty much cost me a good night’s sleep.”

I then was faced with the difficult challenge of totally killing my smiling face. I think I pulled it off pretty well. I cast my eyes downward in a gesture of shame, while holding my mouth slightly open to illustrate concern.

“Oh…” I whispered, as though I had suddenly been struck with knowledge of the error of my ways. “I’m sorry, Claire.”

Despite my carefully constructed display of compassion, I detected a look of suspicion in her eyes. I wondered just how much of my message her subconscious had understood. Did she view me as a threat?

“That’s okay,” she said, even as her eyes narrowed slightly. “Not your fault.”

My smile returned, an act of deception to keep her from realizing that I realized that she realized that I had faked my expression. _Huh? Way to confuse yourself, Elle._

“No, I’m not like that,” I assured her. I felt that I should establish this early on. “I like you, Claire, and I won’t try to hurt you… Well,” I amended, “I won’t try to _kill_ you, in any case. I’ll keep you safe from the company and anyone else that tries to mash you up. You’re mine, Claire.”

I let that sink in a moment before ‘correcting’ myself, “My jurisdiction, I mean. Daddy can’t assign someone else to handle you with me at your side.”

A lie, of course. There was really nothing stopping him from doing something like that. The point was to establish trust and familiarize her with the fact that she was mine.

My toy was wide-eyed when I had finished. “I… Thank you, Elle. I… Can you stop them from hurting anyone else?”

The desperate look in her sweet blue eyes, shimmering with tears, was just to die for.

Her request, however, was… not possible. I looked downward and sighed, shaking my head. “The company… is very powerful. I couldn’t… I can’t.”

Claire sighed as well. “I understand. Thanks for… for doing what you can, though.”

I smiled at her, finding myself reaching a hand to her face. I so wanted to express my affection through a show of electricity… I imagined how she’d squeal and pull back, collapsing under my hand… But doing so would threaten all the progress I made, so I held back.

Instead, I simply stroked her cheek. That was nice too. Claire has soft skin. I thought about moving my hand upwards, right to the top of her head. From there, I could shove her down to the floor, and force her to acknowledge me as her captor… I pulled back my hand.

“Hungry?” I asked, holding up the candy bar. “We could split, like before.”

“Uh, yeah,” she agreed, nodding her head. “Let’s do that.”

“Great!” I eagerly ripped open the wrapper. This was good. She seemed to have reached the vulnerable state I was seeking. If all went well, she would be open and receptive.

I decided to try an experiment. Breaking off a small chunk at the corner, I fiddled with it a bit to smoosh it down, and then thrust it against her lips. She opened her mouth to speak, and I slipped the morsel inside.

“Mm!” Claire grunted in surprise. She chewed. “Thanks, Elle, but I can feed myself.”

“I know,” I giggled childishly, breaking off another piece and pressing it to her mouth. “I _like_ this.”

She parted her lips slightly and accepted the candy. “Why, though? I mean, what’s the point?”

 _I can exert control over you this way._ I held out another chunk a few inches away from her mouth. She leaned forward to take it from my hand, her warm mouth closing over my fingers, leaving behind wet saliva. _Just like a puppy with table scraps._

“No real reason,” I shrugged, wiping icky Claire drool off on my pants.

I fed her half of the bar this way. Through gradual increases, I got her to lean across nearly half the distance between us by the end. It was so empowering.

“Split half way?” I asked, hoping she didn’t want me to repeat her gesture of offering two thirds.

“Sure,” she agreed. “You want me to feed you?”

She held out a hand for the bar.

I grinned. “Thanks… but that’s really not necessary.” I happily chomped away at the bar while she watched with a confused look.

The candy was good. It made me thirsty, though. That was bad when there was a limited water supply available. “I’d kill for a Slusho,” I remarked, swallowing dryly.

“Slusho?” She raised an eyebrow in amusement. “In the middle of winter?”

“Winter, spring, summer, fall,” I counted the seasons off on my fingers. “Slusho tastes good _any_ time.”

Seriously, it was the best damn drink ever made. Fortunately, the company had made some kind of business affiliation with the Slusho distributer, so I had a great supply close at hand. Normally.

“When I get out of here,” Claire said, smiling dreamily, “I’m gonna get a whole bunch of waffles, with butter, and maple syrup poured all over everything.”

I found myself smiling alongside her. “That sounds nice.”

Actually, the food itself didn’t sound nearly as nice as the way she described her rich fantasy. “I’ll make sure you get that. When we get out of here, I’ll treat you to a meal at the nearest Waffle House, okay?”

“Sounds great,” she agreed. “I don’t think there’s any in New York, though. We might have to settle for the nearest Denny’s.”

“As long as you’re happy.” This was excellent. She really was warming up to me, which made me pleased.

The only problem was… I wasn’t shocking her. Slipping a few volts into her body would make me _so_ pleased… but what about my progress with her? I sighed; I would have to risk it – it was too frustrating otherwise. “Claire?”

I shifted my head slightly lower to look at her from perfect eye-level. “Can I ask you a really big favor?”

She looked wary. Undoubtedly, she could guess what I had in mind. “Yeah? What’s that, Elle?”

“Could you maybe let me zap you?” I asked, my tone slipping into begging. _Oh, this is pitiful._ “It would make me feel really good…”

She just eyed me for an uncomfortable moment. I felt what ground I had gained suddenly fall away, leaving me naked and helpless. Suddenly it didn’t matter that I had fed her like a dog; if there was no pain to inflict, the world lost its meaning.

“Okay,” she finally said in a small voice. She held out her hand for me to take. “Just… keep it small, okay?”

My eyes widened. I slowly slipped my hand into hers, my gaze flicking up to her eyes.

“Thank you,” I whispered. Then I gave her a relatively small zap.

Claire’s face scrunched up, her mouth letting out a delightful little squeal. She was just precious.

I pulled her into a hug and squeezed her tightly. “Thanks!”

“No… problem…” she gasped out against the side of my head.

I pulled back so I could examine her appearance. Tears streaked from her eyes, not from sorrow, but simply from the stress of being electrified. Her face was flushed red with blood and she seemed preoccupied with clearing her throat. Needless to say, it was very enjoyable.

For an instant, as I stared down at her, I had the strangest urge come over me to lean over… and kiss her on the lips. It was an unusual thought; I never had much of an interest in the feminine sort. Claire, however… she was full of fascinating possibilities.

Then Claire tried to break out of my grip and the moment was lost. I let go without a fuss, and watched as my toy slid back away from me.

“That was great.” I smiled, making sure she knew her pain was appreciated.

“For you,” she stated blandly. “Not so hot on this end.”

 _For now._ I knew she had the ability to enjoy it herself… but if I wasn’t careful what I said, I could scare her off. Not that she had anywhere to run, but _still_. “I’m sorry you’re… uncomfortable with it.”

“I’m sure comfort is your main concern,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

It was an odd thing to say, not what I was expecting. It gave me a moment of a pause to consider what she could have meant. A minute later, I responded with what I believed was appropriate, “You know, just because I’m a sadist, it doesn’t mean I want you uncomfortable.”

That appeared to baffle her. “Then what does it mean?”

“It means,” I explained to her as I took her hands in mine, “I want you in _pain_.”

I lightly shocked her fingertips, causing her to wince just slightly. I smiled at the sight.

“Pain is the most important feeling in the world, Claire,” I instructed. I lifted her right hand to my lips and gently kissed the back of her hand, sending little sparks into her that made her twitch so lovely. “No other sensation can make you feel so alive, so in touch with the world.”

“Really…” Her voice was skeptical, unbelieving. But she wasn’t retracting her hands.

“Uh-huh,” I agreed, running my fingers around her hands. “I’m sure the idea has already occurred to you, deep down, that maybe you continuously place yourself in _painful_ situations for that very reason.” I punctuated the word ‘painful’ with some extra voltage. “After all, if you just want to survive ‘suicide’, there’s plenty of painless ways… none of which I heard yesterday.”

She tugged her hands out of my grasp. I could have increased the voltage considerably and made her conform to my plans. I let her go without a struggle.

“If pain is so nice,” she muttered darkly, “Why don’t you shock yourself?”

 _Ah…_ She had hit upon the flaw in my rationale. I had come up with the thought myself, but I was hoping she wouldn’t be as smart. I had to answer, had to say _something_.

“Because,” I found myself saying, unsure where I was going, “It’s not fun… for _me_.”

Claire frowned. “What?”

 _What?_ I internally echoed her. Despite my own confusion, my mouth continued on the thread it had started, somehow not telling my brain what it was up to. “You’re the one that likes pain… likes _feeling_ pain… And I’m the one who likes giving it. I’m the sadist… and you’re…”

I trailed off. This was so fucking weak.

Claire was skeptical to say the least. “You… think so?”

I noted that she wasn’t out and out denying it. Perhaps there was still a chance of this working after all.

“Mhmm,” I agreed with a bright expression, showing her a friendly smile. I spoke again on a sudden impulse, “God made you fit to take it… just as he made me fit to give it…”

 _What the hell?_ I silently demanded of my mouth. _What was all that crap about God?_ She couldn’t possibly buy any of this garbage.

Amazingly, however, my little stream of nonsense seemed to affect my Claire. She visibly bit her lip and glanced away, her eyes moving rapidly from side-to-side.

“You really think so?” she asked quietly, aiming her eyes directly into my own.

I stared back confidently. “I know so.” _Mine!_

Claire sighed, turning away from me. “I gotta process this…” She held her head in her hands, really taken by my words. So delightful!

I eyed her a bit, satisfaction filling me to the brim. I knew she would make a wonderful toy. Way better then Peter. It had only been a few days, and already I had penetrated her sense of identity.

Her face scrunched up as she thought about her place in the world, no doubt wondering if she should let me zap her. _The answer, Claire, is yes._ I gave her a great, beaming smile to help her reach that decision as I idly made lightning dance about my fingertips.

The display attracted her attention. She watched me warily out of the corner of her eye, and shifted slightly away from me. _So, that’s how it is?_

Quieting my electricity, I slowly reached my hand over to her. She closed her eyes and tensed, waiting for me to zap her, to take my fun without letting her have hers. I could have done that; it _would_ have been fun. But having a toy that actually consents to being played with, that is something else altogether.

So, I didn’t shock her as I pressed my hand to her cheek, nor did I slam her to the floor as I worked my hand up to the top of her head. Instead, I began to affectionately stroke her hair along her head. I winked at her when she looked at me with surprise. “No need to worry, Claire. I won’t until you agree.” _Not until you surrender to me…_

“Get away from her, Elle.”

_Aw, hell._


	2. Chapter 2

“Elle, get away from her now,” Peter demanded tersely.

 _Aw, hell._ I turned to see Peter on his feet, looking like hell with slightly unfocused, bloodshot eyes and an overall sweaty body. _Yuck._

“What do you want?” I grumbled crossly.

“Peter,” Claire broke in. “There’s no need…”

“I said, get away!” Peter snapped, and instantly my hand was knocked away from my toy by an invisible force.

_You dare?!_

“You wanna fight, Peter?” I drawled, standing up. I brought lightning down to my hands and let it grow in my palms as I stalked toward him…

“Elle, stop it!”

A hand grabbed my arm, and I spun around to glare at my toy as she tried to hold me back. _Do you realize what I could do to you, you little punk?_

Claire held firm despite my acidic gaze, and positioned herself between me and Peter with her back to me. “Peter, knock it off. I can take care of myself without your help.”

I cocked my head as I watched the toy defend me. I hadn’t expected her to do that. I had underestimated her again. With my free hand, I resumed stroking her hair. “There’s a good…” _Toy._ “Girl.”

I glanced down at where she held my arm in a tight grip. A bit too authoritative for my liking. _We’ll have to fix that, won’t we?_

“Thanks, Elle,” Claire said without looking back at me, her gaze fixed on Peter. “Peter, keep your focus on the barrier. Don’t go picking random fights when we need you to keep your strength.”

“Yeah, Peter,” I mocked. “You wouldn’t want to use up energy when there’s so little food left…”

Winking at him, I motioned at Claire and licked my lips.

Peter clenched his jaw, and for an instant I saw electrical sparks emanate from his fingertips. I raised an eyebrow. _Interesting response…_

“Elle, whatever you’re doing back there, please stop it.” Claire sighed. “Peter, I’m _fine_. Regenerative powers, remember?”

“She’s manipulating you,” he accused. “It’s what she does. She doesn’t think of you as a person at all.”

I frowned. _Disobedient toy, trying to end your master’s game._ “Hey, just because you didn’t appreciate your daily zap doesn’t mean that you can just come over and interrupt our game on principle!”

“Game?” she asked, glancing at me over her shoulder.

“That’s right…” I shot her a smile. “We were both about to win…”

I ever-so-slightly zapped her through my arm, making her give the cutest little jump as she suitably loosened her grip. I smiled encouragingly as if to say, ‘See, Claire? Pain can be fun.’ To my delight, she returned it with a trembling smile of her own.

I leaped forward and hugged her tightly from behind. Peter was none-too-pleased. I grinned and gently shifted her so that she was resting most of her weight on me, her eyes about level with my chin. The pose was excellent for my message to Peter, thought strongly at him: _Mine, mine. All mine!_ “I think the girl has made her choice. Why don’t you go and sit down?”

“I really am fine,” Claire added helpfully. Then… she mouthed _something_ …

I twisted my neck to see her mouth clearly, but it was too late by that point. She had gotten something across to Peter without me knowing what! Whatever it was, it seemed to work in my favor.

“I’m within shouting distance,” he told my toy as he stalked off to the other side of the room.

 _Huh…_ “What did you tell him?” I asked as I laid her down carefully on her canvas bed. Kneeling beside her, I rested a forearm on the other side of her body as I leaned over her face. This position kept things nice and intimate, with the added bonus of making her unable to rise until I moved.

“Uh, j-just that, uh, we should have our fun while we can… because of where we are and all,” she stuttered, noticeably intimidated by my actions. The way things should be as far as I was concerned. I’d had my fill of disobedient toys.

“Fun?” I grinned a slow, dangerous grin. “Are you having _fun_ , Claire?”

Gripping her shoulder, I gave her a little shock, eliciting a whimper from my toy.

“W-well, a bit, I guess,” she admitted to my great delight. “It does help me forget.”

I was a bit confused by that last part, but with such a lovely toy ready for me I wasn’t terribly interested. “What’s your favorite part?”

I ran a finger lightly over her soft face, trying to determine which of her exquisite features to electrify next.

“O-of getting shocked?” Her tone was still incredulous. She still couldn’t understand that she was my toy and being zapped for pleasure was to be her new purpose in life. Fortunately, I consider myself a good teacher.

“That’s right,” I encouraged, tapping her on the tip of her nose. “You like pain, remember? What part of my gifts do you appreciate the most?”

“Oh… I, uh, I guess I like it just, like, after it really hurts? Before it starts to burn…” She licked her lips nervously as she described her taboo pleasure, and I found my eyes once more drawn to her mouth.

 _That’s right. I owe you a kiss, don’t I?_ “Claire, you’ve been a very good… girl. Close your eyes.”

“W-why?” she asked, failing to obey. “What are you g-going to do?”

I sighed. This should have been smoother. I blamed her disobedience on Peter’s bad influence. “Now, Claire, when I tell you to do something, I need to know that you will do as I say. I am _far_ more experienced than you are, and if you question my judgment at every turn, you _will_ pay the price, trust me. Understand?”

I smiled sweetly, letting her know that this really was for her own good.

“I, uh, guess,” she allowed. “But why–?”

“Claire,” I interrupted, “ _Trust me_. I know what’s best for a… a girl like you. I can make our time very pleasant for us both _if_ you let me instruct you. That means you do as I tell you when I tell you. If you understand, say, ‘Yes, Elle.’”

She visibly swallowed.

“Yes, Elle,” she squeaked, and then blushed.

 _Yay!_ I grinned. She was really coming along excellently! “Good. Now… Close your eyes.”

She was nervous, I could tell. But her eyes slowly fluttered shut. I took a moment to lean back and examine her appearance. She looked so beautiful, all warm and at my mercy. The perfect thing to snuggle up with and shock! And kiss.

“Hey, Claire,” I nudged her. “No, don’t open your eyes! Not until I say… Claire, you look very pretty right now. I just wanted you to know.”

“Th-thanks, Elle,” she muttered nervously. “You don’t look bad yourself. Well, if I could see you, anyway…”

There, that was practically a date. I mean, we talked, we ate, and I zapped her. It couldn’t get much more romantic under the circumstances. I leaned my face in just inches from her own, whispered, “Very pretty…” and kissed her.

Heh, little Claire was startled to say the least. Possibly more startled than when I ever zapped her. Her body tensed, and despite my commands her eyes flung open, staring widely into my own.

 _Heh, shouldn’t have done that…_ I singsonged in my head, while I met her gaze challengingly. I let loose a light stream of electricity through our kiss and steadily increased the voltage until she got the hint and closed her eyes. To my delight, she then started to kiss me back! _That’s right, little toy. I’m your master. Get used to it._

Eventually, the moment had to end and I leaned back, breaking the kiss. We both gasped for air, though Claire may have been reacting more to the electric shock than anything.

“That was… wild,” I laughed. “You can open your eyes now, honey.”

Honey. It seemed appropriate. She was my sweet treat and would last forever.

Her eyes warily came open, and she swallowed as she stared up at me. “I, uh, didn’t realize that you were… Uh, that you liked girls…”

“Not ‘girls.’ I like _you_ ,” I explained. What was she going to do, call me a lesbian? I’m not a ‘lesbian,’ I’m ‘Elle.’ Whatever gender a person is when I decide to make them my toy should make no difference. The only things that matter are: A, me playing with my toy, and B, my toy having the enjoyment of being played with by me. “And don’t try to tell me you don’t ‘like girls’ and therefore don’t like me.”

I winked at her, “I know damn well that was not a kiss from a girl that only likes to kiss guys.”

In reality, I had no idea. After all, that _was_ my first girl/girl kiss. But Claire didn’t know that, and it felt good to screw with her head. And her head was royally screwed with! “And I _will_ be expecting a thank you.”

She rolled her eyes, but I could tell I’d got her thinking again. Yep, she was well on her way to accepting her place in life as my plaything. Maybe. _What the hell did she say to Peter, anyway?_

“Maybe…” Claire began, and then stopped. She took a deep breath, and continued, “Maybe we could try again?”

I smiled. “Certainly, Claire… Now shut your eyes, and keep ‘em shut.”

This time, the toy did what she was told. She was rewarded for her obedience in much the same way as she was punished for disobedience. That’s why playtime’s always fun.

Anyway, as I filled her mouth with pain, I felt her kiss me right back! Such an eager toy she was turning out to be. I ended the kiss, giggling with excitement. “Open your eyes now, Claire.”

Her eyes opened. “I, uh,” she coughed. “I think I might be bi…”

“I knew it!” I laughed. Whether or not she really was into me, I’d certainly pushed her toward accepting her new role as my toy. Then it suddenly hit me that I had just gotten myself in a relationship with another girl, no matter how one-sided. I sat up to examine her body as a whole, and frowned. What _was_ I supposed to do with this, anyway?

Finally unpinned, Claire started to sit up, but I grabbed her forehead and gently returned her to the ground. I smiled and shook my head as she gave me a look. _Well, this is fun._ I supposed I could work on the whole girl-on-girl thing later, _after_ I had some classic fun with her. “Hey, Claire, wanna play a game?”

To say she was nervous would have been an understatement. “Uh, what’s the game, Elle?” she asked, her voice trembling in _such_ an adorable fashion.

“Truth or Punishment. It’s a lot like Truth or Dare, except instead of a dare you get a shock,” I explained. “I thought it up myself.”

It was a great way to get to know a new toy, let it learn a few things about its master, and play with a bit of pain.

“I never would have guessed,” she muttered sarcastically. “What’s your ‘punishment’? I can’t shock you.”

“Oh… I don’t get punished.” Hell, I laughed at the thought. A toy? Punishing _me_? It was enough to put me into hysterics. “No, I just get ‘truth,’ and I can refrain from answering if I care to… Oh, and I wouldn’t lie if I were you, Claire, unless you’re craving some pain. You’d be _shocked_ at how good I am at catching lies.”

A natural consequence from lying all the time.

“That… doesn’t sound like a fair game,” she complained.

“No,” I shook my head, grinning. “It’s more of a _sadistic_ game. You know, more appropriate to us? I’ll start. Truth or punishment, Claire?”

“What kind of–? Does anyone actually _choose_ punishment?” the toy asked in bafflement.

“Their first time? No…” I decided to count that as a ‘truth’ choice. _I’ll give her an easy one to start off._

I smiled down at her with a predatory sweetness. “So, Claire, you’ve been letting me shock you all day…”

I gave a playful gasp. “Are you a _masochist_?”

“A ma…” Her eyes grew large. Clearly, this was not something she wanted to admit to herself. However, my threats of punishment were enough to ease her along. “I… I guess so…”

 _On the right track, Claire. Still need to be straight with yourself, though._ “You guess? I’ll need something a little more definite than that, honey.”

“Yes, okay? Yes… I am a masochist,” she grumbled, clearly embarrassed.

I would have given her a hug, except I was enjoying her vulnerable position on the ground too much. I did give her a reassuring pat on the head, though. “Great! Now, you ask me something.”

“Uh, okay…” The toy thought a moment. “Okay. Elle, um, what’s the weirdest power you’ve ever seen?”

 _That’s her question?_ A bit impersonal. I wondered if she was trying to get me to start talking about something she would find less embarrassing. _Naughty toy._

“Easy,” I chuckled. “There was this one guy I, uh, met that could change color, like one of those little lizards. He’d make these fake tattoos that he could turn on and off at will. Frankly, it’s a tragedy he wasn’t born a girl – she’d save a fortune on make-up.”

I supposed it was also unfortunate that I’d accidentally killed him during playtime. Claire didn’t need to know that, though. “So, truth or punishment?”

“You know, unless I say something, which I doubt, you can pretty much always assume that the answer to that is ‘truth,’” she informed me.

“Okiedokie,” I smiled, stroking her cheek. “Do you like it when I shock you, Claire?”

“I, well, sometimes,” she admitted. “I mean, sometimes I think you’re just trying to hurt me – in a bad way, I mean, and I don’t like that. But, ah, if you’re nice about it and careful… then, yes, I do like it.”

She blushed, and then stammered, “Uh, n-now I ask you something. When did you first realize you were a sadist?”

 _Hmm?_ Now, that was the question she should be asking. I thought back, smiled at the memory, and then carefully edited it. “When I was seven. Of course, I didn’t know the word then, but I got the gist of it. I knew I was different from everyone else, better… I mean, I _was_.”

I made lightning dance on my fingertips to show her what I meant. “I realized I liked to cause pain, and that it was ‘weird.’ Didn’t _stop_ me, but I knew it wasn’t the way I was supposed to be… And now it’s my turn. Claire, do you like it when I _kiss_ you?”

Her blush deepened; my smile widened. “Um, yes? You know I do. Do you have to embarrass me like this?”

I blinked. What a lame question… “Yeah… I do… because I’m a _sadist_. Ask a better question next time, jeez.”

“That was rhetorical,” she explained. “It wasn’t a real question…”

“Well, too bad,” I rolled my eyes at the silly toy _._ “’Cause I’m counting it…”

I trailed a finger over her cheek, feeling the heat radiate from her skin – the product of a lovely surrender. I decided to do away with the cheap excuse of being her ‘pain guide’ and get serious. “Do you like being in my power, Claire?”

She swallowed. “Well, to some extent… it is a bit… I don’t know, exciting? I mean, you hovering over me like that _is_ a bit freaky, but–”

I loudly pretended to stifle a yawn. “You gonna answer that anytime soon, Claire?”

“Um, okay. Yes?” she _asked_ me. As if _I_ was to answer her questions!

“’Yes…’” I prompted expectantly, gritting my teeth a bit. I gestured for her to go on and give me her answer.

“Yes… Mistress?”

I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “Oh, Claire,” I shook my head. “Oh, no, Claire…” I laughed some more. “No…”

“What?” my toy looked at me with a baffled expression. “What’d I do wrong?”

I struggled to get my laughter under control. “No, no, Claire,” I finally got out. “I was just asking you to answer me _definitively_ , to not ask me if your answer was correct. Granted, your little addition was… _interesting_ , no doubt, but… unnecessary.”

“Oh…” Now she was blushing worse than ever. “If you could just forget that this happened…”

 _Like hell!_ “Sure thing, Claire,” I smirked. “Just so you know, should you ever _want_ to call me something _special_ … it’s ‘Master.’ Got that?”

“Got it…” she sighed, turning her face away in shame.

 _Now, now, that won’t do._ I reached over and gently made her face me again. “Ask your question,” I urged.

“Okay,” she agreed. “Umm… When did you realize you were into girls?”

What an easy question! “Like, yesterday,” I shrugged. “You were so nice to me… I couldn’t let anyone else have you…”

“Oh…” she stared at me wide-eyed.

I smiled at her, my pretty little toy. Mine, mine, mine. My Claire. I stroked her cheek and quietly asked her, “Would you mind so terribly if I were to call you my little toy?”

“Um, yeah,” she said as though it were incredibly obvious, heartbreaking in its way. “I don’t want to be your ‘toy.’”

“Alright,” I agreed, disappointment filling me. And she’d been so open, too! My eyes hurt with warm sorrow, not quite enough to turn to tears.

“Ask your question,” I told her, sounding bitterer than I had intended. To calm down, I sucked in a breath through my nose and let it out the same way. I couldn’t afford to appear weak in front of her, my self-denying _toy_.

“Okay… What’s the deal with you and Peter?” my plaything asked me.

“Mmrm,” I grumbled, glancing over at the sweating lump. “He didn’t tell you? He was my, uh, prisoner at the company. I used to bring in his pills in the morning, give him a nice jolt to clear his head… He manipulated me, made me think he liked me just so I’d get careless and let him escape. Do you know what that feels like? Being used and betrayed by someone you care about?”

I looked into her eyes, searching for that recognition. I got it.

“Yeah…” she nodded, a dark look appearing on her face. “Yeah, I do.”

I took a deep, deep breath to calm myself down. I shouldn’t be worrying about the past, not when there was a delightful toy in my present.

“Okay,” I said, trying to be reasonable. “If you don’t want to be my toy… How about my pet?”

I softly squeezed her throat and chuckled, picturing her with a sturdy black collar and a little silver name tag: _Claire, property of Elle Bishop_. _If found, please return to owner_ … “You’d make a _good_ pet, Claire, you really would.”

“Um, uh,” she shifted uncomfortably, as though trying to escape my hand. “Well, I… I’d probably prefer being a pet than a toy…”

“Great!” I swung a leg over to the other side of her body, moving so that I was practically lying on top of her, leaving her utterly trapped under me. She stiffened, more than a little bit concerned about her circumstances. I smiled and played with her hair as I reassured her that I would be a good master. “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll be well looked after. I’ll feed you, and play with you, and I’ll even take you out once in a while for some fresh air. Won’t that be nice, pet?”

“Uh…” My toy/pet looked rather alarmed instead of happy like she should have been. Clearly she was still operating under the misconception that I didn’t own her. Silly, silly toy/pet.

“Elle?” she asked then. “Can’t I just be, like, your girlfriend or whatever?”

I frowned. “I… I don’t really have girlfriends… or boyfriends for that matter. I have toys. They’re mine, and I love them… you.”

“O-oh,” she stuttered, her eyes widening with a delicious mix of fear and (yes, I saw that, Claire) excitement. “Can’t you make an exception this time?” 

She was so _cute_.

I decided to put on a show for her. I bit my lip and glanced away, allowing my eyes to flit back and forth as I pretended to consider her request. “I suppose I could…” I gave her a thorough zapping topped with a smothering kiss. “…But I won’t!”

I laughed as I pulled away.

My toy/pet was less than thrilled.

“Elle, please get off,” she told me in a no-nonsense voice.

My eyebrows rose. “What, _you’re_ giving orders now?”

 _Feisty thing._ I gave her a little jolt to remind her who was in charge.

“Elle!” she gasped as she tried to get out from under me. Useless. I had her trapped good. _Mine_. “Elle, this isn’t funny anymore!”

“You thought it was funny?” I teased. I was enjoying her struggle far too much to let her out now. I gave her a hefty zap that only heightened her frantic wiggling underneath me, this time accompanied by whimpering cries.

“You know, I think I see what you mean, pet,” I giggled. “Hilarious.”

Then I was hit by a truck. I was slammed back, off Claire and onto the floor. She scrambled away as living shoelaces squirmed from my shoes and tied my hands, suddenly forced behind my back.

“Nnguh, Peter…” I grunted as I felt my wrists twinge in pain. “She _doesn’t want_ your help!”

“She does.”

Peter stood over me, glaring down into my eyes. Ooh, I do not _like_ being in other peoples’ power. I struggled against the barrier surrounding me to no avail.

“You think she didn’t struggle?” Peter hissed. “You think she didn’t _plead_ you?”

A sudden pressure fell around me. All of a sudden, I had to fight to breathe. Well, I’d be damned if _I_ was going to beg. I let energy gather in my hands, forcing it from my wrists and burning away my restraints.

“Peter, stop!”

And Claire rushed to my aid, freeing me from my invisible prison. As I gasped for breath, she led Peter away.

“It’s not her,” she kept repeating. “Save your strength.”

I stood, watched as Claire dealt with my old toy, and waited for her to return to me.

“Claire.” I nodded in grateful acknowledgement.

“Is… that your way of saying ‘thanks’?” she asked, an eyebrow quirked. She took a small step back as she spoke. Nervousness? Resentment? It was impossible to read at this stage of our relationship.

She wasn’t going to apologize for considering herself equal to me. She didn’t even realize that was a mistake. No matter. I would teach her in due time. _You belong to me._

“You’re a very loyal girl,” I told her approvingly, wondering if ‘girl’ stood for ‘toy’ or ‘pet.’ I supposed a pet _could_ be a toy – certainly mine were.

“My _girl_ ,” I smiled. I reached out and gave her a nice, clean, zapless hug. She held quite still at first, no doubt expecting a shock, but then hugged back a bit.

“Elle?” she asked, swallowing abruptly as she spoke.

I grinned. “Yes…?” _What kind of lovely awkward question shall you embarrass yourself asking, my toy?_

“You… You know the guy you threatened to kill for me?”

It took me a moment to remember who she meant. “Right… the guy the Haitian wiped…”

 _What, you want Peter dead?_ Not that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind, but he was clearly off-limits until rescue teams came.

“You never… you never asked why I wanted him dead.”

I frowned, annoyed with the whole conversation. _She should be asking about whom she belongs to, what she can do to please her master!_

“You… you told me. You said he, uh…” I tried to remember the wording. “He ‘hurt’ you.”

“He _tried_ to,” Claire _growled_ against me.

I pulled back and stared. My pet was not declawed. Miss kamikaze was still flying.

“‘Tried to,’” I repeated, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Obviously, ‘hurt’ meant something other than simple pain. Even a closeted masochist would not feel too terribly bad when pained.

What then? What would make my Claire try to kill somebody? My thoughts went to her gay friend – what’s his name, Zeke? I wondered if some homophobic prank had been pushed too far, enough to turn my dolly into a tin soldier.

“Right,” Claire nodded. She bit her lip and looked away. Sighing, she turned back. “He tried to r- to force me…”

“Oh…” Well, I could understand why a girl would feel vulnerable. I felt a surge of jealous desire to protect what was mine.

“Man, I _really_ wish I had been there,” I seethed. I held up my hand and let the electricity turn into a not-quite-lethal-weapon that would leave the bastard begging for just a little more to end his torment.

“Don’t worry,” I promised my property. “I will protect you and punish those that seek to do you wrong.”

“Like…” Claire took a deep breath and continued, “Like if I’m being hurt by a sadist holding me down and refusing to stop?”

I halted my electricity. “You mean me.”

My Claire… she saw me as something threatening… something in the category of her would-be-rapist. And she was actually threatening to kill me! _Bad pet._

“Claire,” I began slowly, carefully. This was rough terrain. One wrong choice of phrase could ruin everything. “I never meant to do anything… that you, ah, wouldn’t find appealing. I knew you had the potential to like pain… and you even said so yourself! A- and I may have ordered you around a bit, but you said that you did like it. I asked for the truth and I got it – you like pain, and you like being at others’ mercy… Well,” I grinned, unable to resist, “You like being at the mercy of an incredibly hot, young, bi-curious girl with sadistic tendencies…”

Despite herself, Claire’s mouth twitched in a small smile.

“It’s fun for a while,” she admitted. “But… I can’t feel comfortable if you’re just going to ignore me if I want you to stop.”

“But… You’re at my mercy, you _belong to me_ ,” I insisted. “Elle – sadist; Claire – masochist. Claire serves Elle!”

“Can’t we…” Claire sighed. “Oh, right. You don’t date; you have ‘toys.’”

“I do,” I nodded, annoyed she wasn’t _getting_ it. “Or pets, if you prefer.”

“If we can’t date, why not at least just be friends?” she suggested hopefully.

I paused, considering. I never really had anyone I could be friends with at the company. My allies were divided into two categories: those above me, and those below me, as was the hierarchy. But here, with Claire… this was something special. I reminded myself just how strong she was – not a prisoner, but a willing playmate.

“Alright,” I nodded slowly. “We can be friends, Claire. You’re not my prisoner, and I’m not your captor.” _But you do belong to me. You are my toy, and I am your master…_ Given enough time, she’d realize her purpose in life was to please me.

“Great,” she sighed in relief. “If you promise to stop when I ask, I… I suppose we could play another game.”

 _Yes! My eager Claire pet._ I felt so proud.

“I promise,” I agreed, dragging a finger across my throat to show how devoted I was to keeping it. “Now go back over and lay down… No, wait! I want you seated. Wait for a few minutes, and then call me over. Just like friends, see? Then I want you to beg me to shock you. Don’t you dare take ‘no’ for an answer, either. I know how much you want me to hurt you.”

It would be perfect. With her asking me for her jolts, she would actually be in control of how much I did hurt her. Besides, there was absolutely nothing wrong with putting Claire at my feet and making her beg me to let her feel pain. With any luck, this would be a game we both could enjoy.


End file.
